For 12 very long hours, the residents of Libby and Troy weren’t sure what would come of the flood waters that were impacting south Lincoln County.

Despite the many bridge and road washouts in south Lincoln County, water levels were subsiding by the late afternoon of Thursday, Dec. 11.

It was the worst flooding the area had seen since February 1996. Officials expect the damage amount to be in the millions of dollars and likely higher.

Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short gave a briefing Friday morning of what happened as well as what local and state officials were doing in the aftermath.

Gov. Greg Gianforte planned to be at the briefing, but foggy conditions prevented his plane from arriving.

“We’re thinking of you and we’re thankful to all of you for your work and response to this,” Gianforte said. “The White House is aware of the situation, too.”

The governor also pointed out that when certain dollar amounts are met, it will trigger federal help for replacement.

Short said the flooding was a long-term event for residents in south Lincoln County.

“Fortunately, we’ve had no fatalities or injuries. We are still waiting for the water to go down so we can properly access the damage to the bridges that are lost and those that are compromised,” Short said. “It could take months before we really know how much damage has occurred considering the remote location of some of the roads, including those on Forest Service lands.

“The financial part will be a tremendous drain for the county,” he said.

Short also spoke about a man who drove off the Libby Creek Bridge on Farm to Market Road as he drove to work early Thursday morning.

“The bridge was compromised when he drove off it, but he was able to make it out of the truck to safety,” Short said.

Bridges, including Libby Creek, were discussed at length. It was one of several that were washed out or compromised. The Sheriff’s Office reported other washed out bridges, including the Granite Creek bridge on Big Cheery Creek and the Keeler Creek Bridge. A bridge on Ross Creek Road near Bull Lake was also compromised.

Portions of Libby Creek Road and the Champion Haul Road were washed out as well.

The Fifth Street bridge in Libby that spans Libby Creek was closed Thursday and Friday morning. Libby Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Lauer said an inspection was made Friday and the bridge reopened Friday afternoon.

But orange pylons marking damage bordered some sections of the street where water had washed out the ground underneath the asphalt.

Short also asked people to avoid these areas because of the hazards that still exist.

“The ground is not very stable and some of the road edges have been undermined, so these can still be places where accident can occur or people can fall,” he said. “And you definitely don’t want to end up in the water now.”

State bridge inspectors were also on scene Friday to determine the status of the structures.

Short said his office and the county Emergency Management Office began receiving reports of water flowing over the Granite Creek Road. Deputies saw worsening conditions early the next day and that’s when officials began establishing locations for volunteers to get sand bags and sand.

Sandbagging locations are set up at the TCI gravel pit, Wards Road, Pioneer Park, and the county shops in Troy and Libby.

The Flathead County of Emergency Services, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue sent personnel to help along with the Montana Department of Emergency Services.

While water levels continued to recede Friday, concern remains for next week. The National Weather Service’s Missoula office issued a hydrologic outlook Friday morning that calls for the continued Atmospheric River to impact Western Montana and Northcentral Idaho from Monday through Friday.

NWS officials say snow levels are anticipated to start at 7,000 feet on Monday before falling to valley floors behind a cold front early Wednesday. The most likely rainfall scenario forecasts one to two inches for the valleys of Lincoln, Mineral and Sanders counties in western Montana and Clearwater, and in Idaho. 

Two to three inches expected in the mountains of northwest Montana and north-central Idaho. Areas further south and east in western Montana will likely see one inch or less. A high-end scenario could bring totals one to two inches higher than the estimates given above.

Due to already saturated ground, particularly in Northwest Montana, the rainfall increases the risk of rock and landslides, stream and river rises and minor flooding. 

Officials advise residents to monitor the latest forecast updates as this system approaches.

Short said some people were evacuated, but he wasn’t sure of the exact number.

“Some chose to leave their homes and some chose to stay,’ he said. 

“One person went to the Red Cross shelter at the Assembly of God Church in Libby.”

He also said one family was trapped by the flooding, but they were doing OK.

“They had plenty of food, water and supplies and when we spoke to them, they were doing fine,” Short said.

People who need to evacuate large animals can take them to the rodeo grounds at J. Neils Memorial Park on Montana Highway 37 in Libby.

But during the tragedy, there were several scenes of neighbors helping each other, filling and laying sand bags to keep the raging waters from damaging their homes and properties.

Nearly half a foot of rain fell in three days coupled with melting snow from the Cabinet Mountains caused the flooding. Short remarked how unusual it was for this time of year.

‘I’ve never seen anything like it going into winter,” Short said.

Damage assessments will take a considerable amount of time and some officials estimated the costs will be tens of millions of dollars.

Libby city officials ordered a boil water advisory after its public water supply experienced high water turbidity due to the flooding.

The order remained in effect Friday morning and residents were advised to boil water for at least one minute before using for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or washing dishes.

City officials said the Flower Creek Reservoir remained intact.

A post on the Libby Troy Community Connection page indicated Forest Service Road 4690 heading to Flagstaff Mountain was washed out.

Kootenai National Forest officials said the rapid increase in rainfall on top of snow in the higher elevations increased the risk of landslides, debris flows and downed trees across the Forest. 

For more information or to report a washout, contact the appropriate Forest Office.

Cabinet Ranger District-Trout Creek, MT 406-827-3533

Libby Ranger District-Libby, MT 406-293-7773

Rexford/Fortine Ranger District-Eureka, MT 406-296-2536

Three Rivers Ranger District-Troy, MT 406-295-4693

Kootenai Supervisor's Office-Libby, MT 406-293-6211

They also offered the following safety tips;

- Avoid hazard areas: stay clear of flooded roads, streams and burned areas. Burned areas have an increased likelihood of landslides, mudslides, and debris flows due to the lack of vegetation and unstable soil.

- Due to the excess moisture, road and streambank edges are extremely soft and potentially unstable. Be alert for any slumping or sliding and avoid edges.

- Falling trees: heavy rainfall saturates the soil, making it softer and loosens the grip of a tree’s root system. This can lead to downed trees along roads, trails, rivers, and recreation sites. 

- Use caution when driving on forest roads for any potential, unknown road washouts.

- Streams and rivers are still flowing at high rates. Please use extreme caution.

Flooding disrupted school and many social activities, including Troy Elementary School’s Christmas concert, the first home basketball games for Troy and Cabinet Peaks Foundation’s annual Festival Gala.

Troy’s Christmas concert has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17 at the Troy Activity Center while the Festival Gala will be held Jan. 10.

Libby and Troy did not have school Thursday or Friday.

    Flood waters caused a variety of damage in south Lincoln County Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, including on 5th Street Extension. The bridge over Libby Creek reopened Friday afternoon after it was inspected. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)